As a key figure in the anti-slavery movement in America, William Jay (1789-1858) found himself in the middle of one of the most heated political battles of the era, known as the petitioner movement in Congress. In the months leading up to May 1836, Congress was getting flooded with tens of thousands of petitions, letters,…
For many American families, A Visit from St. Nicholas is part of their yearly Christmas celebration. For descendants of John (1745-1829) and Sarah Jay (1756-1802), the poem is more than a holiday tradition. It is a family story. Whether it is a family story for all Jay descendants, or only for some, depends on who…
Dr. John Clarkson Jay (1808-1891) was a pioneer in the science and study of mollusk shells, commonly referred to as conchology. Born September 11, 1808, he was the eldest of Peter Augustus Jay and Mary Rutherford Clarkson’s eight children. John Clarkson received the prestigious elementary education that was customary for upper class families like the…
John Jay’s Desk
On April 6, 1917 the United States joined its allies and officially entered World War I. Patriotism was at an all time high and Americans furiously attacked any traces of German culture in the country. German place names were changed, German books and newspapers were burned in the streets, and sauerkraut was even renamed “Liberty…
This month’s story is that of 20th century German statesman Adam Von Trott Zu Solz (1909-1944), a descendent of John Jay through his maternal grandmother Anna Jay Von Schweinitz, daughter of John Jay II. Von Trott zu Solz is perhaps best known for his participation in the infamous Operation Valkyrie plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler…